| Beach volleyball’s popularity has been on the rise recently. It has seen worldwide growth ever since it’s Olympic debut in Atlanta 1996 (“Beach Volleyball Equipment,” 2015). Since it’s beginnings in California in the 1920’s, it has always been a fun and challenging game that is easy to learn (“Beach Volleyball Equipment,” 2015). The game spread quickly during the great depression because there was no expensive equipment needed. Through the 50’s and 60’s, the game continued to grow over the U.S. and quickly gained the image of the cool sport to play.
There are several reasons for why the sport has grown so quickly. This is a great game for men and women to play together and compete on somewhat equal grounds. Co-ed leagues around the country are very popular. Also, this game encourages teamwork. It is a great game to meet new friends. Beach volleyball is an excellent workout. Players burn off calories while having fun in the sun. Usually players do not have to worry about injuries as much as other sports because it is non-contact and played on sand. This sport is fast paced and keeps player’s attention. There are no long periods of inactivity like in other sports. All players will participate on nearly every play. And realistically a huge reason for the popularity is the attractiveness of the players and the uniforms they wear. The men wear swim trunks and no shirt while the women wear bikinis. This makes it a perfect product for television. The growth of this sport is especially important for female athletes. Women have always had fewer opportunities to participate in sports but beach volleyball is giving women another avenue to show off their athleticism. Women’s beach volleyball is now the fastest growing NCAA sport ever (Sorenson, 2015). In the first season as a collegiate sport in 2012, there were 16 programs. Now in 2015, there are 41 schools with women’s beach volleyball and more are on the way (Sorenson, 2015). Many schools like the idea of a women’s beach volleyball program because it increases female sport participation and has a very low costs associated with building the program (Sorenson, 2015). Some of the sports top indoor players are already starting to switch over to the sand game. This growth has been seen in the amateur ranks as well. “According to the AVCA nearly 500,000 13-25 year old females have taken up the sport since 2007” (Sorenson, 2015). The exposure that the sport gets every four years in the summer Olympics is invaluable for it’s growth. The USA women’s team of Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor have captured the hearts of the country with three gold medal finishes in a row. The USA has dominated Olympic play so far with the most gold’s while Brazil has won the most medals overall (“teamusa.org,” 2015).
*Created in 2015 by Jeffrey M. Boulden using Microsoft Numbers. All data retrieved from www.teamusa.org. Clearly, the USA and Brazil are the top two countries capturing just fewer than 70% of all the medals (“teamusa.org,” 2015). The argument could be made that Brazil is the best with the most overall medals but most experts agree that having the most gold is more important (“teamusa.org,” 2015). This graphic shows a few surprising countries that have won medals. Canada, Latvia, and Switzerland have all won a medal despite being very cold countries with small populations. Another odd fact from the graph is Australia only having two medals. Australia is a highly developed country with an abundance of beaches and great weather. One would expect them to compete with the USA and Brazil. As more and more colleges begin their beach volleyball programs, the USA seems poised to continue their domination of the Olympic sport for years to come. All of this growth has seen the emergence of beach volleyball facilities opening all around the country. They offer a fun way to get exercise, compete, and meet new friends. With the professional leagues starting to pay more prize money and gain television exposure, this sport has a bright future. Its also one of the few sports where the women’s game may be more popular than the men’s. The growth of this up and coming sport sees no end in sight. References Beach Volleyball Equipment and History. (2015). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.olympic.org/beach-volleyball-equipment-and-history?tab=history Sorenson, A. (2015). THERE’S A NEW KID IN TOWN: FORTY-ONE TEAMS AND COUNTING- THE FASTEST GROWING SPORT IN NCAA HISTORY. Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/2014/02/25/kid-town-fortyone-teams-counting-fastest-growing-sport-ncaa-history/ (2015). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/usa-teams/beach-volleyball/olympic-games-info/beach-olympic-history
|
